Your Syndrome and You!: A Handy Guide!

Ch2 - Subject: Orville Squeeze Jr. / Disorder: Bipolar induced Psychosis

Click!

"C'mon, you can smile wider than that, kiddo!"

Orville forces his smile to be bigger. It hurts a bit.

"Th-ere we go!" the man behind the camera cheers. "Just like that! You're a star! Be proud of yourself!"

Orville had just won his first tap dancing competition. He's now having various and copious amounts of photos taken of him, his partner also being photographed just a couple feet away.

The boy fights back a frown every second, uncomfortable. He wasn't particularly fond of having his picture taken, but...

Gazing away from the bright flash of the cameras, he can see his mom in the crowd, still jumping and hollering with joy.

These pictures would make for good memorabilia for her, wouldn't it?

"Kid, kid," the cameraman groans. "This way!"

Orville snaps to attention and gives another weak smile. He wishes this was over with already.

"There we go!" the cameraman smiles. "You kids are so young, y'know?" he continues for some reason. "You're gonna have everyone know your names after this!"

Orville blanches. Surely this man was exaggerating.

"C'mooon, smile!" the cameraman complains again. "The whole world's watchin', kid!"

Orville stiffens.

The whole world? Watching him? After he had put on such a scuffed performance that anyone worth their salt could glance at and call out as sloppy?

Orville's breathing picks up.

The cameraman then, blessedly, lowers his tool. "Hey, you okay?" he asks. "You need to take 5?"

Orville, feeling sick to his stomach now and unable to respond verbally, just nods. He then absconds as soon as he possibly can.

He remembers later that night feeling so, so sad. Devastated. He had messed up in front of the whole world.

"Mama," he mumbles quietly the next day, head hung low, "I don't... I don't think I wanna dance anymore."

Not ever, he thinks. Not if the world is watching.

His mom is confused, but nods. "Okay, little man." She bends down to his height and puts a hand on his shoulder. "Do you wanna tell me why, though?"

Orville shrinks in on himself before mumbling, "The whole world is watching."

Dani tilts her head. "What d'you mean by that, Orv?"

The boy shakes his head. "The whole world is watching," he repeats, unable to find other words. "I... I don't want to be watched..."

Tears are beginning to form in his eyes and Dani is quick to shush him.

"Okay, okay," she says, scooping him up and bouncing him. "No tears, Orv. No tears."

Orville cries anyways. He finds he can't keep it inside of himself anymore, and he clutches at his mom's neck.

"I-I'm sorry..." he despairs through tears, "I'm s-sorry..."

"Hey, hey." Dani holds him impossibly tighter. "There's no need to be sorry. You don't wanna dance anymore, right?" Orville breathes heavily and shakes his head. "Okay. Then you don't havfta." She pulls him away just to look at him in his gross feeling face. She gently knocks their foreheads together and speaks quietly. "You don't havfta, okay?"